Jimmy Herring featured on ‘No Guitar is Safe’ Podcast

When it comes to playing music that features epic, improvised guitar solos, it’s hard to name a guitarist who has had a more fulfilling career than Jimmy Herring.

From his two current bands (Widespread Panic and his solo band, Jimmy Herring and the Invisible Whip) to his past musical adventures with Col. Bruce Hampton and the Aquarium Rescue Unit, the Allman Brothers Band, and the Dead, Herring has enjoyed some of the most thrilling lead-guitar tenures in the history of jam bands, and he reflects on all of them on the latest episode of the No Guitar Is Safe podcast, which is presented by PRS Guitars.

Bonus: Throughout the interview, Jimmy has his Paul Reed Smith NF3 plugged in! And, in addition to jamming with host Jude Gold on various grooves, Jimmy shows you how he is preparing for one of the most meaningful tours of his life—the Meeting of the Spirits tour, which starts November 1 and finds Herring co-headlining U.S. concert halls with his hero, John McLaughlin.

The podcast also finds Herring detailing his deep devotion to finding great guitar gear—an obsession that spans everything from vintage amps, preamp tubes, and speakers to more modern accouterments such as the PRS Narrowfield pickups found on his NF3.

Best of all, on this episode of No Guitar Is Safe, Herring shares much of what McLaughlin, Phil Lesh, and the late great Col. Bruce Hampton have taught him about tapping into an energy bigger than oneself to deliver guitar solos that transcend your chops and knowledge.

“Bruce never wanted to hear your skills,” says Herring. “He wanted you to get beyond that. He wanted to hear your essence. He wanted to hear music that came through you.”

To learn more from Jimmy about going “beyond chops” to play the biggest solos of your lifetime, stream Episode 55 of No Guitar Is Safe on iTunes, RSS, Soundcloud or wherever you get your podcasts.